By Lawrence Odoom/Phalonzy
The Environmental Protection Authority is undergoing a sweeping renaissance under President John Dramani Mahama, with 50 new district offices commissioned and 2,300 personnel recruited in just 15 months, Chief Executive Officer Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse has revealed.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with JoyNews, Prof. Klutse declared that Ghana’s environmental governance architecture is being fundamentally retooled, arguing that robust compliance cannot exist where regulatory institutions are starved of reach and resources.
“Since I took over as the CEO of EPA, we have expanded our reach by establishing 50 new district and area offices across the country,” Prof. Klutse stated. “The objective is to ensure that environmental compliance enforcement is seen and felt at the local level.”
She stressed that the expansion is far from over. “We are not done yet with the expansion. Plans are underway to ensure that we open as many of those offices to ensure everyone is held accountable for their environmental actions.”
The proliferation of new offices, she explained, necessitated a massive injection of human capital. “Once these 50 offices have been opened, we need to fill them with skilled staff. So over the past 15 months, we have recruited some 2,300 staff and posted them to the various districts and area offices across the country.”
The impact, according to the EPA boss, is already palpable. “So I can confidently say that EPA is contributing to addressing unemployment in the country in a very sustainable way,” she noted. “The impact of this expansion is already being felt on the ground as places in this country that have never been regulated before have now been brought under the radar of the EPA.”
Prof. Klutse also unveiled a bold digital transformation agenda designed to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and curb revenue leakages. “We’re also proud to say that since assuming office, we have worked so hard to digitize our operations. The objective is to improve efficiency, reduce leakages, fast-track licensing and verification processes.”
The reforms now place EPA services at the fingertips of every Ghanaian, irrespective of geography. “So today, you can live in Keta or Bawku, if you need any EPA certificate, all you need to do is to go online, fill a form and the rest of the process remains online with regular updates from the authority.”
The digitization drive has yielded staggering fiscal dividends. “EPA has remitted a 20 million cedis surplus to the Consolidated Fund in an unprecedented move at the end of the 2025 financial year due to the intentional resetting being carried out at the EPA within the last 15 months,” she disclosed, adding that internally generated revenue has soared by 50%.
To match its expanded footprint, the Authority has bolstered its logistical muscle. “Apart from financial gains, we have been able to procure 80 brand new operational vehicles for the new offices and other new departments of the authority. We have taken delivery of 40 so far. The rest 40 are on the high seas and will be ready in May 2026.”
Prof. Klutse affirmed that the EPA board, management, and staff remain resolute in delivering a cleaner, sustainable environment to underpin national development.
She issued a stern admonition to impostors exploiting the galamsey crisis. “We remain on alert and will move to apprehend and prosecute such persons under the laws of Ghana,” she warned, referring to individuals allegedly impersonating EPA officials in illegal mining zones.